Fast Facts

SEMA News—February 2014

INDUSTRY NEWS

Fast Facts

Rich Crutchley has joined Remington Industries as national accounts manager. In his new role with the company, Crutchley will oversee sales to Remington’s current customers and the development of new business in untapped markets.

He will also oversee the expansion of the company’s product offerings through its distribution channels. Crutchley’s retail and marketing experience includes stints as national sales manager for Amcor Group USA, national account executive for Automotive Innovations and manager of national accounts for Medco.

Remington also announced the appointment of Brand 7 Ltd. to assist with sales and marketing in Europe. Based in Edinburgh, United Kingdom, Brand 7 Ltd. specializes in automotive brand licensing and product development with varied clients, including Michelin and Kawasaki.

Remington Industries, Ooltewah, TN; 423-238-3455.

The Petersen Automotive Museum selected Adam Langsbard as its chief marketing officer. He is responsible for all marketing operations, including sponsorships and partnerships, advertising, creative direction, public relations and digital media. “Adam’s experience in entertainment, interactive and advertising industries and his innate ability to find long-term partners will help the museum tell the stories of the people and machines that have changed the world,” said Petersen Executive Director Terry Karges.

Langsbard’s background includes roles as director and vice president at agencies and studios such as Sony, Paramount, New Line Cinema and 20th Century Fox. Most recently, Langsbard also helped the Petersen’s annual fundraising goal by establishing partnerships and branded sponsorships, including a new relationship with Jaguar.

Petersen Automotive Museum, Los Angeles, CA; 323-930-CARS.

CRP Automotive has named Trevor Potter vice president of sales to manage all aspects of the CRP Automotive sales program and its sales team in the United States and Canada.

He is also responsible for expanding the company’s market share and increasing its distribution footprint. Potter was most recently vice president of aftermarket sales and marketing with Schrader International, a leading manufacturer of valve and sensing technologies.

Prior to that, Potter served as a division manager of the automotive aftermarket for Petoskey Plastics.

Scott Brown, an automotive student at WyoTech’s campus in Blairsville, Pennsylvania, was the recipient of the Vic Edelbrock Sr. Scholarship Award. The award is presented to students and graduates who have shown excellent attendance and earned top grades during their studies at an automotive trade school. The desire to build high-performance engines and to be employed in the automotive aftermarket are just a few of the qualities required of the scholarship recipient.

After serving four years in the Army, Brown made the decision to attend WyoTech in Blairsville to learn the skills he needed to open his own automotive performance shop. When asked about his dream job, Brown said, “I want to design high-performance systems for everyday cars. In other words, tear apart brand-new cars and make them better.”

WyoTech Blairsville, Blairsville, PA; 888-308-7158.

LKQ Corp. has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Keystone Automotive OperationsInc. for $450 million. The transaction is expected to be complete in the first quarter of 2014 and is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.

Established in 1971, Keystone has more than 1,500 employees and 25 locations serving more than 20,000 specialty retailers and equipment installers throughout North America. LKQ expects the transaction to be accretive to its earnings in 2014. Keystone’s revenue for 2014 is expected to be approximately $700 million, with an EBITDA margin of approximately 10%. These projected results exclude expenses related to restructuring and acquisition. The company intends to finance the acquisition with borrowings on its revolving credit facility and asset securitization program. As of September 30, 2013, the company had approximately $1.2 billion available from these sources.

Toyo Tire North America (TNA)Manufacturing Inc. (White, Georgia) broke ground last week for a 700,000-sq.-ft. addition to its current 2 million-sq.-ft. tire manufacturing plant. The warehouse portion of the facility will also be expanded by 323,000 sq. ft. to accommodate the increasing production of the Toyo and Nitto brands. Parent company Toyo Tire & Rubber Co. Ltd. is investing $371 million in the expansion over the next four years.

According to Toyo, the investment will result in the creation of 650 new jobs in Georgia. The state-of-the-art TNA manufacturing facility first broke ground in 2004 and features a proprietary automated production system called Advanced Tire Operation Module. The first tire rolled off the line in early 2006 when the company employed a staff of 81 people. It has since undergone three expansion projects, more than doubling the size of the facility and now employing a staff of more than 1,000.

Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp., 714-236-2080.

Ideal Industries Inc. has named Joe Saganowich vice president/general manager of its SK Hand Tool subsidiary. Saganowich, a 15-year veteran of the company, most recently led its North American Electrical Division as vice president of sales and marketing.

As vice president/general manager of SK Hand Tool, Saganowich will lead the development and implementation of the subsidiary’s strategic plans, overseeing its day-to-day operations and driving sales growth. Prior to joining Ideal, Saganowich held sales positions with Black and Decker, Sunoco Auto and Pennzoil Auto.

SK Hand Tool, Sycamore, IL; 800-822-5575.

Veteran car owner Bob Fryz’s extensively modified and customized ’51 Mercury was the winner of the 2013 Winfield Award presented by Meguiar’s. The award was presented on the second day of the 2013 PPG Syracuse Nationals.

The award is named for legendary car designer and builder Gene Winfield of Mojave, California. Winfield was at the show to present the award to Fryz during a dinner Saturday on the fairgrounds. In addition to a custom-built trophy, Fryz received a check for $10,000 from Meguiar’s Car Care products.

Built in a ’69 Camaro subframe, the Mercury is modified throughout, including an unusual rolled and pleated pearl white interior topped off by an aircraft-type steering wheel. Falling back on a ’50s theme, the Mercury has a General Motors 383ci stroker motor backed by a 350 B&M automatic transmission. Fryz said he was thrilled to receive the award because it is an exclamation point on his efforts to own unusually designed cars.

Meguiar’s Irvine, CA; 800-347-5700.

Axalta Coating Systems presented the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) Refinish Technician of the Year award to Leonard King of Euro Pros Collision Center in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

King began his career in the industry 25 years ago. Axalta has been a sponsor of the award for more than 10 years. Axalta Training Manager Scott Diaz presented King with the award. “Technicians are invaluable, in that they are the direct users of our refinish products and they help restore cars to their original beauty,” Diaz said. “We appreciate their knowledge, attention to detail and all they do to help demonstrate brilliant color.”

Axalta Coating Systems, Philadelphia, PA; 855-547-1461.

CRP Automotive received two awards for excellence in business-to-business communication during the 2013 Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo in Las Vegas.

The awards, which highlight outstanding advertising, marketing and public relations activities on behalf of aftermarket organizations, were presented as part of the annual Automotive Communications Awards program that is sponsored by the Car Care Council Women’s Board and Automotive Communication Council. CRP Automotive’s ContiTech Serpentine Belt Campaign was selected out of almost 250 entries as the 2013 winner of the Automotive Communications Award for best-of-class direct mail piece or campaign/newsletter and best-of-class co-op/partnering campaign. The programs were developed by the CRP marketing team in collaboration with its advertising agency, Mint Advertising, and CRP’s product development and sales teams. The campaign ran for a five-month period, creating more than 500,000 first-time impressions.